My Religion Is Very Simple - My Religion Is Christ - Like [NOT Christianity]
Posted: Monday, April 20, 2009
by Yangki Christine Akiteng
The Real People's Love Doctor
I was seven years old when I first read the word "Jesus". I had grown up with my grandfather in the village and spoke only African languages. The village school I went to, 7 miles walk, taught English from Grade 5. The rest of the learning was in vernacular.
Prayer was said every morning before classes and my grandfather, a well known, well respected and dignified teacher/Lay Pastor, (one of the pioneers in my village), made sure all the forty something of us in the family went to church on Sundays. Back then, I knew God had a son, and His name was Yesu Kristo.
My mother, who worked as a nurse took us kids to the hospital Christian Fellowship every evening. The fellowship led by a group of Catholic nuns and an Anglican Assistant Pastor (ministering together) lasted about one hour. That evening, determined to practice my English reading skills, I sang from the blackboard some of the most beautiful words I have ever heard or will ever hear again.
"How, how I love Jesus. How, how I love Jesus. How, how I love Jesus because He first loved me".
All the adults in the room knew the song by heart, and so had their eyes closed, bodies swaying gently to the music. I took my eyes off the blackboard for just a few minutes to look around. Inside the room which before had approximately 15 adults, I saw that for some unexplained reason, there were more people, so many of them that I could not even count.
There was a soft, kind and loving expression on everyone's face. Now, I grew up among some of the kindest, most loving people you'll meet anywhere in the world (and I mean it from the bottom of my heart), but this was different. I had never seen anything like this, I remember thinking. These must be the people called Jesus! (the plural of Yesu).
I never told my mother or anyone about this experience because I just assumed it was normal. This is what the beautiful chorus meant. All those Jesus loved me first, and how, how I love them! And whenever I heard the word "Jesus" I remembered all those so many faces with a soft, kind and loving expression.
Even when I learned how to read and speak "fluent" English and understood Jesus to be one man, the son of God, Yesu Kristo, Jesus the soft, kind and loving face stayed with me. And as I grew up, I loved Him even more. It was easy for me to love Him, He loved me first!
Throughout my teens I was sheltered in my "small town" idea of Jesus. Then I moved into the big city, then the bigger cities, then started travelling the world and even immigrated to Canada. With every experience, every church I went to, every group of Christians I met, "Jesus changed". It became harder and harder for me to reconcile my first real-time experience of Jesus with what was taught in the churches and the Jesus I saw in the faces of my fellow "Christians".
Gone was the soft, kind and loving expression; the Jesus who warmed hearts and inspired just by His presence alone.
Gone was unconditional acceptance; the Jesus who told Zacchaeus, the cheating chief tax collector, "I am coming to your house for supper!"
Gone was humility; the Jesus who said to the people who brought to Him the woman caught committing adultery, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone", even when He (Jesus) himself had never sinned in His life!
Gone was the Jesus of the Gospels; the Jesus who fed the hungry, healed the sick, comforted the grieving, and "crossed over" to stand with the poor, oppressed, rejected, and those that lived daily on the edge.
Gone was the Jesus of the cross at Calvary; the Jesus who put "love for another" before any law of the land and before His own life.
Eventually I stopped going to church altogether. I saw no point in going to church for appearances only or just so I could "judge" others' un-Christian words and actions and feel good about myself.
That Jesus (the plural of Yesu) may be gone from the big cities, from the church, from the world, and from the lives of many who call themselves "Christians" . But that JESUS with the soft, kind and loving expression on His face is still my Jesus! NOBODY and NOTHING will ever change that. This tree right here is planted by the waterside, and CANNOT BE MOVED!
I may not qualify for the top of the "Jesus ladder" crowd; I do not know how to speak the "Christian language", I do not know all the "right" Bible versus to quote, I do not know how to tell others how to live the Christian life and I do not even call myself a "Christian" anymore (just a follower of Jesus Christ), but I KNOW MY JESUS, and I have a religion. My religion is very simple - my religion is loving kindness.
Jesus could have come as the most feared King, the richest man in the world, the world judge or anything else He wanted to, but He came as the most simple, most humble, most kind and most loving man the world will ever know.
My hope and prayer every single day is that all those I come in contact with see MY JESUS with the soft, kind and loving expression on my face. This is now my church. It's not always easy, but I TRY and will never stop TRYING.
Without Loving Kindness what use is religion? What use are we to each other? Loving Kindness (in action) is one religion all Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindu, agnostics and atheists all understand perfectly.
It'd be really nice to see all those "Jesus" (the plural of Yesu) who loved first -- once again!
This Article has been viewed 1,878 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
More commentsDear Christine,One word.Perfect.Thank you for articulating this so well.Love you, Sister!JeanPlease log in to respond to this comment.I’ll take “Perfect”… THANK YOU!!!! :-)This article has been a long time coming but I think I worried too much about “what Christ” people would see through it. All the comments above -- and yours, tell me, next time me (and my worries) should just get out of the way…I am FEELING the love, Sister. Love you right back! :-)Please log in to respond to this comment.
You know Christine I believe I was closer to Jesus before I believed in him than when I believed. I have a strong faith in him today however I do not go by the teachings of the bible. do you understand what I mean here?Please log in to respond to this comment.David, I think…may be…I understand what you mean. I get the “I have a strong faith in him today however I do not go by the teachings of the bible”, but not quite sure I understand “I was closer to Jesus before I believed in him than when I believed”. Please explain what you mean... I sense that I may have something new to learn here. You peaked my interest BIG time! :-)Please log in to respond to this comment.What I mean to say Christine is like back in the 60s when the young were rebelling against the establishment I was all for them, although I didn't believe their actions were coming from Christ. I wasn't until I was re-born that I realized all my actions before that night were directed by Christ. I hope this clarified a little for youPlease log in to respond to this comment.Yes, it does... :-) In my “limited” understanding I call “realized all my actions before… were directed by Christ” embodying the consciousness of Christ.And like you, I too I am a pragmatist in how I approach the teachings of the Bible… :-). “What would Jesus do in this situation?” is more my modus operandi.Please log in to respond to this comment.
This was a beautiful work of art, Christine. True Christians here in America have watched as our religion has gone through the very changes of which you speak. Our laws won't allow our children prayer in school because it assualts the rights of the 'atheist'. Our court houses must remove "In God We Trust" from their foyers. I'm ashamed to say that we as 'Christians' have allowed this to happen in a country that was founded on Christianity. I, like you, will never allow them to take Jesus from my heart.Thank you so much for stating what we know to be true.SandraPlease log in to respond to this comment.Thank you Sandra, GOOD for you! People like us who have had a “deeply personal” experience of Jesus can’t just let go off that relationship or let anyone change what we know in our hearts, souls, minds and bodies to be real and true. It’s like someone else telling you that you do not exist and never did. They are damn wrong!I personally think that if people who say they follow the teachings of Jesus actually went back to the true meaning of what Jesus taught in His own words and actions, there might be more tolerance for “Christianity” not just in the USA but around the world. Personally I would like to see people who say they follow the teachings of Jesus LOVING OUR NEIGHBOUR first and not just expecting others to love them. Throughut His life Jesus reached out first and loved even when He wasn’t loved back. And He loved knowing that those He loved would kill Him but love would triumph. Love is NOT weakness. (God is) Love is the greatest POWER now and ever will be!I thank you for taking the time to read, and leave a comment on what is in your heart. I know I am not alone. Means a lot!Please log in to respond to this comment."This was a beautiful work of art, Christine. True Christians here in America have watched as our religion has gone through the very changes of which you speak. Our laws won't allow our children prayer in school because it assualts the rights of the 'atheist'. Our court houses must remove "In God We Trust" from their foyers. I'm ashamed to say that we as 'Christians' have allowed this to happen in a country that was founded on Christianity. I, like you, will never allow them to take Jesus from my heart."
Sorry, this seems wrong to me in so many ways. My relationship with God is personal. When that Alabama courthouse constructed a granite edifice with the Ten Commandments, it was an abomination, an idol worship. There was nothing spiritual about it, but purely a political act of defiance. We can be a nation of godly people, but we are not a godly, righteous nation just because we have faith legislated for us. This business about "country founded on Christianity" is also a fraudulent, an early 20th Century fabrication that somehow got manipulated into pseudo-history.Please log in to respond to this comment.Anonymous, I am not American (USA) and do not know what “"a country founded on Christianity" looks like. I come from a country that was colonized with the help of Christianity, but embraces and celebrates all religions. Canada my second home country has no official religion. The preamble to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms mentions "God", and the monarch carries the title of "Defender of the Faith", but no specific beliefs are specified, and support for religious pluralism is an important part of Canada's political culture.What is your suggestion for having a godly and righteous nation of godly people? Is it even a possibility in your books? What would that look like in the 21st century? Just curious… :-)Please log in to respond to this comment.
"With every experience, every church I went to, every group of Christians I met, Jesus changed".Christine,This has been my point exactly in recent articles. I think you are one of the many who are driven away from organized religion because of bickering due to interpretations of doctrine. Some have said to me, we all know what to do, just read the bible and do what it says. Unfortunately, so many have done so their own way creating some 20,000 Christian sects with various interpretations and understandings.My wife begins each of her prayers "My gorgeous, lovely, beautiful Jesus . . ." I've seen her pray to him and his beauty does shine in her countenance. I see all his goodness, kindness, and complete, utter, total selflessness. Too bad people get into verbal / physical fights even over doctrine breaking one of his commandments: thou shall not contend one with the other. And I feel this is why many avoid organized religion and religion all together.I have met Christians, atheists, Muslims and others with a great spirit. And that is all we have. I don't think He wants us to focus on contention of doctrine but just to love our brothers and sisters. That's difficult to do in itself, never mind trying to get a particular angle on doctrine. Peace to you and yours.Please log in to respond to this comment.I hear you Jeff! The bickering on interpretations of doctrine does not turn me off organized religion. My world has always been full of all kinds of people from different religions and beliefs, and different divisions within same religions. Sometimes they bicker separately and sometimes together. Most times they agree to disagree.I have learned somewhow to separate people from their issues (what drives their attitudes, words and actions). It helps me find compassion because I see the person (with a divine-breathed desire to love and be loved) but separated from that desire by their own issues - whatever they are.I am convinced that Christ himself knew we would bicker on interpretations of Scripture, that’s why when asked, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" He replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself. He simplified everything for us because He understood human nature perfectly!.He even understood that some of us will not love ourselves (not know how to). Not knowing how to love ourselves we would not have a reference from which to understand love for our neighbour, so he went further to emphasize, “a new commandment I give you: Love one another as I have loved you”.What turned me off was/is the absence of Christ-Like love and kindness and the treating of others as “lesser beings”. God is an impartial God, who are we to show partiality by judging and treating others as lesser beings? How can we say we love God when we do not follow the simplest commandment of all: Love one another as I have loved you? This is not God offering us a "free-will" choice, THIS IS A COMMAND!Religions can divide up in a million pieces, people can bicker all they want, show off their "intellect" all they want, puff up egos all they want, just love one another as we have been loved!!!!Why can’t we all just try to be like “gorgeous, lovely, beautiful Jesus…” :-) Like you said, we ALL (Christians, Jews, Muslims, atheists, etc) have that “great spirit” capacity. I have seen it and experienced it in this lifetime. It begins with a simple desire to go back to where it all begins and ends…LOVE!Please log in to respond to this comment.Jeff, just wanted to add this… the bickering on scripture doesn't bother me, but I don't encourage it around me either. When a person claims his or her interpretation of the Scripture (and in effect morality) is the right one, they are in effect (sub-conscious level) saying, “Look at me, why can’t you be like me?” When I am caught off guard, my sinful nature goes like this...look at you, if you’re that… then how come you are... and I am? In my mind, I am thinking of all the things about the person I would never ever want to be (or even ask of God). Then I realize, I am judging that person as “lesser than me”. The potential in me to "judge others" freaks me out, not the bickering people! I avoid the scripture "discussions" for my own (sinful nature’s ) sake! Mine is by the Grace of God existence. Makes sense???Please log in to respond to this comment.
Christine, you make an excellent point. A religious "brand name" is of no importance. What is important, as you have indicated, is that one love Jesus and acknowledge that he is the only path to salvation.And how do we demonstrate our love for Jesus? He said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." And what are his commandments? He really only gave us two: (1) Love God with all your mind, soul, heart, and strength, and (2) Love your neighbor as yourself. That's what real religion is.Thanks for the wonderful article.Please log in to respond to this comment."He really only gave us two…". Thank you so much for echoing this simple and sometimes ignored truth!!!Through my discussions and personal relationships with people of different religions and even those without religion, we all seem to understand that the only two life instructions that matter in this life are love of God and love of one another. … I could even say we intuitively in our souls and spirits know this as the ONLY way/path to eternal life (whatever eternal life means for the individual).We who say we are followers of Christ say that way/path is Jesus and Jesus Himself said, ”I am the way”. It all comes down to “Who is Jesus” (the way). What did Jesus really mean by, “I am…”“I am”, Jesus the “known” personality, a Jew born to the lowly maiden, Mary? Or “I am” Jesus the Divine Love (Who came from Divine Love/Son of God/Love)?If someone acknowledges that Divine Love is the ONLY WAY back to God, is it the same as saying "Jesus is the only way?" Will Divine Love lead this person back to the Alpha and the Omega or do we try and scare the person to submission through isolation and constant threats of damnation (God's wrath)? What would Jesus do?It's today's "Christian tactics" that scare people away from Jesus. Not Jesus.Please log in to respond to this comment.I really don't think we can make that choice. Jesus obviously meant both when he said, "I am." Jesus was/is both man (yes, that Jew born to the lowly maiden 2000 years ago) and the Divine Love/Son of God. Those sides of Jesus are inseparable, as I understand it. It's like they say about love and marriage, you can't have one without the other. If one claims that he was just a man, then he or she is denying his divinity and committing blasphemy.On the other hand, if one claims that he is just some kind of mystical, disembodied Divinity, then why was it necessary for him to suffer a physical death for our sins? Also, if this Divinity can be intuitively known, why then did Jesus issue the Great Commission, i.e., telling his followers to go into all the world and make disciples of all, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit?Please log in to respond to this comment."Like they say about love and marriage, you can't have one without the other"Are you serious about this statement??? How many love-less marriagess are there in the USA alone, don't even count the rest of the world? How many Christian marriages are love-less marriages of convinience? If you want, we can have another separate discussion on love and marriage another time... :-)"committing blasphemy" am I supposed to be scared...lolPlease log in to respond to this comment.Okay, Christine, maybe I picked a bad analogy. "You can't have one without the other" is just an old saying about marriage. It's not meant to be taken literally and I certainly didn't mean for it to cause us to get sidetracked.In the future, I'll be more careful about my analogies. :-)Please log in to respond to this comment.I took it literally. I can be literal sometimes, part of my "charismatic" charm...:) But you've spoken like a true Christ-Like gentleman. I like you!!!...:-)Please log in to respond to this comment.Just making sure I answer all you questions…:-)Why was it necessary for him to suffer a physical death for our sins?It wasn’t necessary for him, it was necessary for you and me -- us. He had to come down to our human level because even with all the prophets before him, man kind failed to rise to His (Jesus) Divine level. Like I said, Jesus had so many options on how he came. He chose the option that we (all human beings) in our limited human understanding could grasp -- loving kindness. Imagine if he had come as a feared king? Richest man? etc. We'd all be trying to be the most feared, wanting to be the richest. Oooops! I take that back, some people are already doing that... lol :-)Why am I even discussing Christianity…lol This intellectualizing and "tunnel visioning" on scripture is exactly what turns me off...:-) Can we talk about Christ-Like now?? Loving kindness ?? Any ideas on how we can make our world more accepting, humble, caring... Christ-Like (in actions)/deeds?Please log in to respond to this comment.That’s if you define Divine Love” as just some kind of mystical, disembodied Divinity. If you’ve had a personal experience of Jesus, you know that you know that you know that there is nothing disembodied about Jesus. It’s a person who has only an intellectual knowledge that thinks intuition is a “feeling”. Intuition is Divine Knowledge. I think that by reducing Jesus to a “person/personality” many Christians have already lost “the way”. It's more about what a person knows on a human level than what God has put in one's heart.We are expected to carry out the great commission from a place of loving kindness. If I want to buy a house, I do not go to a homeless man who has never owned a house or lived in one for advice on how to buy a house. Many Christians today are like homeless men giving others advice on how to buy a house. Where is the Loving kindness that makes disciples of all? That's what we ALL humans beings need to get back to. Personal effort/egos is not making disciples of anyone. It's turning them away. Let's get Jesus back to the front and we follow from behind.Please log in to respond to this comment.I do agree with most of your points here, especially the parts about the requirement for loving kindness and the need to put egos behind us.Still, Jesus the person/personality cannot be discarded. If God has put the knowledge of Jesus into everyone's heart, what need is there for us to spread message of Jesus? And what Jesus is that? The Jesus of the Bible, of course. A Jesus who mostly spoke of love, but also warned us about sin and judgment. Yes, many Christians put far too much emphasis on the sin and judgment part and I've written articles condemning them for that very thing.However, the bottom line is that, if it is not the Jesus of the Bible, it is the Jesus of one's imagination.Please log in to respond to this comment.Perhaps this will better illustrate my point about a person/personality Jesus.It’s a story of a young South African boy raised Christian all his life. His parents regularly read to him from the Bible and through the Bible stories and scripture, he fell in love with Jesus. Being a very poor rural area, he had never seen a picture or even drawing of Jesus. It so happened one Sunday that there were visiting missionaries from England. They had brought with them a slide show of the cructification and resurrection story. On the way back home the boy was very quiet and seemed very angry. When his parents asked him if he didn’t like the film, he looked at them with tears in his eyes and said “I hate Jesus!” His parents were stunned and very hurt. They asked him why. He said “He is white. He hates us”. These were the days of apartheid. This boy's experience was his only frame of reference of Jesus “the person”. The Bible said Jesus was kind, caring, loves him unconditionally, wants the best for him etc. But no "person" that looked like the Jesus in the film had ever been kind, caring, loved him unconditionally, wanted the best for him. Again keep in mind he only met a few "white" south Africans. If he had met many his experiece would be different and so would his perception of Jesus the person. It took a lot of explaining about who Jesus the Divine Love is for this boy to once again fall in love with His Jesus. I don’t know if this is a true story or not.When we apportion Jesus a personality we also bestow on him human characteristics that we most identify with. This is why we have “pick and choose” different versions of Christianity. It’s the same Jesus of the Bible, Divine Message is the same, but the personality of the message is tailored to our human understanding that is limited by our personal experience. It confines us and limits our thinking and experience. Even when we don't intend to, we see ourselves as "right" and others as "wrong" because what we know through human experience is what "feels" right to us. What our souls and spirits know is what is truth!Please log in to respond to this comment.Christine, I will agree with you on this much: When WE (capitalized for emphasis) assign a personality or certain human traits to Jesus, that is definitely a negative thing. That goes back to what I said about the Jesus of one's imagination. We are not to assign any characteristics to Jesus, physical or otherwise. And that includes our personal biases. Obviously, people (especially Christians) do that all the time. But it doesn't make it right.Instead, we are to stick with the facts. And where are those those facts found? In the Bible, of course. Note that the biblical writers intentionally made no effort to describe Jesus' appearance. I think that was at least partially for the reason you alluded to in the story. We need only to go by what the Bible says about Jesus, and not add anything or take away anything. That way, we can't go wrong.Please log in to respond to this comment.I am not going into “the facts" that’s for the historians and intellectuals to sort out. Christians themselves don’t even agree on the Bible “facts” of Jesus’ person. From what I "hear" the Bible has been revised a few times over, by persons with personalities who may have lent some of their own human experiences to “The Word”. As I mentioned below, I know the One who knows EVERYTHING. That’s the only FACT that matters -- and can't be re-written, edited, tailored, or revised.Please log in to respond to this comment.Wow, Christine, it looks like we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one. I believe the Bible is the infallible Word of God -- the only way to truly know Him. You say you know the "One who knows EVERYTHING" (I'm assuming you're talking about God), but how is it possible that you can know Him without trusting His Word?Earlier, you were discussing various episodes from the life of Jesus, such as his encounter with Zacheus and his commandments about loving God and your neighbor. I'm curious as to where you got this information. Surely, you wouldn't be relating stories from an inaccurate book like the Bible, would you? Because, if the Bible is full of errors and distortions, how do you know which parts of it are accurate and which are not? Let me guess, the parts that fit in nicely with what God whispers to your soul are accurate, while those that do not are questionable at best. .Please log in to respond to this comment.amen, well put - with grace.Please log in to respond to this comment.“The parts that fit in nicely with what God whispers to your soul are accurate, while those that do not are questionable at best”.I am sorry Terry, that’s what Christians do… I am NOT a Christian...:-)If you re-read this whole discussion again, you’ll see that the point at which I said some “facts are questionable” (to use your words) was NOT on the Divine message of the Bible or the Divinity of Christ or even His deeds (why would I site Christ's deeds and write an article about them if I do not believe it. The theme of the article is Christ-Like. I am many things but not stupid!...:-) lol. This article is built on my desire to be Christ-Like and ends with my declaration of my total belief and trust in Him! Is that enough trust or still not good enough for the Christian folks???? (As if I care one bit what they think.. :-)It is when we were talking about the “person” of Christ that I said there are so many accounts that give slightly different circumstances of Jesus the person. I didn’t come up with the fact that not everyone who reads and believes in the Bible celebrates Christmas or Easter on the same day. The accounts on the circumstances of Jesus physical birth, his ancestry, his personal life etc differ depending on whose “Bible” version you believe in. My point was, these “facts” to me are irrelvant to WHO Jesus the DIVINE LOVE IS. Jesus could have even been married as per some accounts… whatever! He is still MY JESUS! I know who my Jesus is.“How is it possible that you can know Him without trusting His Word?”Did you read the article??? I knew Jesus before I even learned how to read His name, let alone read the Bible. I was only 7 years old! To this day I believe the reason I was allowed this experience was because I was “a child” with child-like faith. “Unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven”. Remember that… :-) We are not redeemed by what we know from reading and understanding the Bible (using our intellect), but what we know by believing with faith and through obedience to His (two) commandments.I am all for agreeing to disagree, neither of us has an “exclusive” access or right to God’s truth. Where we judge our own actions is if we are being Christ-Like towards each other even as we agree to disagree or treating the other as “less than”. I'll let the posts speak for themselves... :-)And YES, God whispers to my soul…I am nothing without that little voice… just an empty vessel... but when He fills it with his "whisper" everything is possible. I mount on wings like an eagle..." :- )Please log in to respond to this comment.Okay, let's forget the stuff about the personal details of Christ or having to know any of that stuff, since it seems to be a stumbling block for you.Let's just cut to the chase. How do you know Jesus issued those two great commandments? What is your source?Please log in to respond to this comment."stumbling block for me?" How so Christ-Like, Terry… :-) I am humble enough to say I do not know what and when I do not know. That's why I need Jesus and His/ God's Divine instruction.How do you know Jesus issued those two great commandments? What is your source?You want me to say I do not believe in the Bible? Sorry to burst your high flying balloon. I DO! I BELIEVE IN THE DIVINE MESSAGE OF THE BIBLE. Please read what I wrote (above) again.“If you re-read this whole discussion again, you’ll see that the point at which I said some “facts are questionable” (to use your words) was NOT on the DIVINE MESSAGE OF THE BIBLE or the Divinity of Christ or even His deeds (why would I site Christ's deeds and write an article about them if I do not believe it).What do you think I meant by "site"? Site from where? THE BIBLE OF COURSE! You are just fishing here… arm twisting...NO GO!Please log in to respond to this comment.What do you mean when you say "Bible"? I'm not trying to parse words here, but do you mean that physical book with pages and a cover? If so, then remember that you said, "the Bible has been revised a few times over, by persons with personalities who may have lent some of their own human experiences to “The Word” (your words). How then can you discern between what has been revised by persons and what is really the "DEVINE MESSAGE OF THE BIBLE"? How do you know that, when the Bible says Jesus issued those two commandments, that this wasn't added in by someone who wanted to believe that?I guess I'm just too simple-minded and unsophisticated (or perhaps not audacious enough) to be able to read the Bible and say this part is true is but that part isn't. I was always taught to humbly obey God's entire Word. I was taught that God isn't going to speak to you and tell you something that is inconsistent with His Word. Accordingly, He will never tell you that anything written in His Word isn't true or that humans have lent their own experiences to ANY PART of His Word. Satan will, but not God.But, hey, perhaps my parents, Sunday school teachers, and pastors should have been more arrogant. Then maybe I would have turned out as wise as you and Vernita seem be.Please log in to respond to this comment.I see where this is going and I am not going down that road with you. One of us has to stand on the side of loving kindness otherwise we’ll both lose “the way”. I respect you too much to start saying your thinking is guided by satan or that you were taught and raised by arrogant people. I wrote this article, I (audaciously) put myself out there, please insult me not my parents and Sunday school teachers. I can graciously take it, but they are not here to speak for themselves (they are living their simple and lowly lives in Africa!).We happen not to agree on some things, that doesn’t make you any less of a human being to me. I enjoyed how the discussing started, perhaps someday we will continue having a great dialogue without the name calling and catty remarks. I still love you with the love of Christ and I like you. That hasn’t and will not change… I hope you find it in your heart to love me as we have been loved by Him, even as imperfect (and audacious) as I am… :-)I appreciate you, appreciate the time you took to have this discussion and your invaluable input. Thank you.Please log in to respond to this comment.Christine, I enjoyed the discussion as well. I'm always curious about the perspective of a non-Christian. I'm sorry if you interpreted my remarks to be "catty" or an attempt at name-calling or to mean that I thought you were less of a human or that I didn't love you. Rest assured that none of these things are true.I was writing mostly in general terms. And I was careful not to say you are this or you are that (other than being wise :-)). In addition, I referred to myself, my parents, my Sunday School teachers, and my pastors as NOT being such and such. I was NOT implying that you and yours WERE such and such. Besides, since you do not claim to be a Christian, I never assumed that you even had any Sunday school teachers or pastors. If you did and I insulted them along with you and your parents, please accept my sincerest apologies.Please log in to respond to this comment.I believe you did not intentionally go out of your way to say the things you said. And at this point, I don’t want to work this too hard. But just so you (and other Christians) know how your words come to a non-Christian…“Accordingly, He will never tell you that humans have lent their own experiences to ANY PART of His Word. Satan will, but not God”.
“humans have lent their own experiences” were my words taken out of context. According to you only satan could have told me that.“perhaps my parents, Sunday school teachers, and pastors should have been more arrogant. Then maybe I would have turned out as wise as you and Vernita seem be”.Why is it that Vernita and I seem be wise? According to you, because our parents, Sunday school teachers, and pastors were more arrogant. Yours were not.I accept your apologies. In some way I provoked your response, it wasn't intentional and for that I apologize. May be we will one day have this discussion on your turf… (but only if you promise to hear what I have to say and not to say satan told me what to say… lol). God speaks to me though His Holy Spirit too, Terry. Love you with His Love! Be blessed.Please log in to respond to this comment.Be blessed, too, Christine. I now realize that I was way out of line and reacted in a very harsh and unChristian manner. Some of the stuff I said was completely uncalled-for. I am very zealous about my religious beliefs and sometimes that causes me to go way over the top in religious discussions with those of differing beliefs. But that's no excuse. I apologize and I hope you will forgive me. I look forward to our next discussion, during which I hope to remain rational and courteous.Please log in to respond to this comment.I hear you! All was forgiven the first time you apologized. All I am waiting for is your response to my apology...:-)This discussion will be continued… after the prayer break...:-)Please log in to respond to this comment.Christine, I hardly think you have anything to aplogize for. But, just in case you did, I accept it graciously!Please log in to respond to this comment.THANK YOU! :-)Please log in to respond to this comment.
Those complicated emotions are very well expressed in your article, Christine. I enjoyed reading it. I am so thankful for the true Jesus of the Gospels. Grateful He has accepted me, forgiven me, raised me up, smeared His love on my heart, cleanses me daily. He continues to teach me how to love as He loves. And oh how different is His way of loving! ~mogama~Please log in to respond to this comment.And oh how different is His way of loving!You got me emotional there, Mogama. His way of loving is so simple and yet we all struggle so much with it. I like you desire with everything in me to be taught how to love as He loves. My experience is when I think I got it altogether, that’s exactly the point at which I don’t. I am in that place where I am happy and comforted knowing that I don’t have to know everything, just know the One who knows. Makes me want to be used for His service over and over and over until I am all used up like an old rag… :-)I am glad you enjoyed the read…Thank you for reading and leaving a comment!Please log in to respond to this comment.
Christine,I think the best writing comes from the heart. Thanks for sharing your heart. I like the way you determined to focus on Jesus and not the box we try to keep Him in. StevePlease log in to respond to this comment.You are right about that… this came raw from my heart, the core and centre of my being…:-) Our world needs Jesus to heal itself. He does not belong to a box and is not the property of a few. Keeping the focus on Jesus and not the “Christianity box” is what I was hoping for when I wrote the article. If you say I somehow achieved it (you can see I have my doubts :-) I will take comfort in that.It’s a long read, I appreciate your time and encouraging comment.Please log in to respond to this comment.
Love that hymm Christine! Our first congregation to this day still sings it and oh to feel His presence. Thank you for sharing and I have to agree that those are the most beautiful words one could hold on to.Love, hugs and blessingsPlease log in to respond to this comment.You know the hymn too…lol It’s sad that they don’t sing those “old” hymns in many churches anymore. Did you also notice “MY JESUS” (Todd Agnew)? I thought if you read the article, you might remember you are the one who told me about the song version of it.Thank you. Loving and hugging you back. Be richly and abundantly blessed!Please log in to respond to this comment.Thank you and yes I did. I still listen to that one often. I want to be like my Jesus!! I know you do too.Love, hugs and more blessingsPlease log in to respond to this comment.
Oh how I love Jesus, oh how I love Jesus, of how I love Jesus because He first loved Me! These words give me comfort today. My wife is waiting for a liver transplant and we are constantly feeling the love of Jesus around us. So many people lift us up in prayer, so us Jesus is right there with us through all of the trials. I think I will sing that song all the day long. God bless you for such an uplifting story.Please log in to respond to this comment.Rick, I am saddened to hear about your wife’s physical health situation. I think I speak for many here when I say, we love you and your wife and join all the other people lifting you up in prayer.On my own behalf, I want to say THANK YOU so much for, in your own God-inspired way, bringing us back to the focus of this article… Loving, showing kindness and sincerely caring for one another... I was praying and hoping we'd somehow get here -- WHAT REALLY MATTERS MOST.Please keep us updated. I’ll be singing along with you. How, how we love Jesus. The Jesus in the good times, is still Jesus in the tough times. The God in the day is also God in the night!Please log in to respond to this comment.
Wow! Even though our experiences of Jesus, religion, and culture started from such different places, we feel the same way. I remember the first time, as an adult coming back to the church that I realized that Jesus was the first and ultimate hippie. I don't mean drug addled, "free love", hedonist hippie, but a true hippie. One that preaches peace and love, concern for the welfare of others and the world and its creatures. There is such power in that stance and such a positive message of hope laced with great responsibility for those who choose to uphold the message. That Jesus has no room for much of what is done in His name- bigotry, intolerance, hypocrisy, hatred. I especially see it here in the South, where some of the ugliest people are the firat ones to tell eeryone and their mother about the fact that they are "Christian". But as being a Christian means being an adherent of Christ and living His teachings, these people are far from Christian and they don't even see it.With what I experience here, I simultaneously envy you your experiences of true Christianity, while understanding how those experiences lead you to see the shallowness of some of the other facets of Christianity and the disappointment that accompanies that.Thank you for sharing...Please log in to respond to this comment.“Even though our experiences of Jesus, started from such different places, we feel the same way”.
Spoken like a sage…:-) This is the point I was trying to make when I said “I could even say we intuitively in our souls and spirits know this as the ONLY way/path to eternal life…” There is a “knowing” and wanting in all of us from all religions and cultures for peace and love. How we go about achieving that state of peace and love is where we get into problems.
Jesus showed us how to (THE WAY) but many who call themselves followers of Christ have chosen the way of fear -- not only do they live fear-filled lives (that limit thinking and experience), they use fear-tactics (de-humanizing/demonizing, guilt-tripping, scaring, bullying, threatening, isolation, insults, manipulation etc) to try to pull other’s into their fear-filled lives. Bigotry, intolerance, hypocrisy, hatred, etc are the fruits of fear, not love.
Our lives have to “show Jesus” before anyone can believe us or even want the kind of life we live. The "Christian way" of advertising a product they don’t have (or use themselves) isn’t working…the saddest part is "these people are far from Christian and they don't even see it”
I am guilty of not always doing it how Jesus taught us to, but I take comfort in knowing that I can see when my actions are unChrist-Like... and ask Him to help me stay on course because I can't do it on my own.I thank you for reading and leaving a comment. It’s interesting that you make reference to Jesus as the Ultimate Hippie. If Jesus came back in this day and time wearing His hand-made robe, a rope around his waist, long unshaven hair, laughing, talking and loving everyone He met, breaking bread with thieves, liars, adulterers, drug-addicts, prostitutes, and preaching “peace and love to all”, I wonder how many churches would welcome Him into their congregation… let alone watch their perfectly vacuumed carpets be soiled by His dirt-covered tired feet…May be I am a "closet Hippie" because I am so deeply in love with the Original Jesus! .. :-)Please log in to respond to this comment.
More comments
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.